ungkler: Streets to Rome

Italy : Rome
Winter 2011

Throwing a coin over the Trevi Fountain for my return ticket to Rome
(Jan-2011)

Journal Entry... Seeing those bricks and stones and ancient columns, I know I've been transported to ancient Rome. The mythical story goes... Mars, the Roman God of war, seduced a vestal virgin who bore twins-- Romulus and Remus. Sentenced to death upon their birth, a servant took pity on the twins. The servant sent the twins afloat in a basket on Tiber river which ended up on Palatine hill... and there, Rome was founded. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Apartment in Rome

23-jan: Touchdown Roma... via #SingaporeAir. It was midmorning by the time the shuttle van had dropped us off in Campo de'Fiori. Shuttle driver pointed to Via dei Leutari across the street, where the rented apartment is located. We could not yet do a check-in; renting the apartment, which was the first time we're doing it, was no different to hotel check-in at 2PM, and meet-up with apartment agent was scheduled at noon. Shuttle driver pointed to a cafe nearby, suggesting hubby and I can wait there in the meantime. Heads turned when we entered the cafe. One of them inside the cafe eyed the airline tag (still) attached to my luggage, perhaps figuring out my nationality without having to ask out of curiosity. I knew it would not be alright to (just) linger in that cafe, like it was some a park on free seating. By the counter were stacked up food containers filled with crescent-shaped bread - the cornetti, the Italian version of the French croissant. I went to buy a cornetti to pair it with cappuccino (coffee), a typical Italian breakfast combo. I already calculated the 7-hour time difference between Manila and Rome, so there I was in Rome about to have breakfast on Manila dinner time at the same time, or whatever...

Go-to meat shop
in Campo de'Fiori

Apartment location is in the heart of Rome, at Centro Storico (old town). Apartment was spacious enough to fit an entire family, but it was (just) me and hubby inside it. But the real question, is, are we the only ones inside the apartment, the hubby and I? Hmmm... did you know? One night, the cellphone charger we'd deposit in the server bowl on the dining table went missing. I must have turned the apartment upside down, crazily searching for that cellphone charger that hubby was also getting irritated looking for it to the point of blaming I was the careless one to misplace the cellphone charger. Hubby said, "It'll turn up in the morning," and stopped searching for the cellphone charger, since he was also sleepy and went up to the loft to sleep. I continued searching every part of the apartment for the cellphone charger, in vain. Next day, while hubby was cooking breakfast, I heard him exclaiming in delight as to having found the cellphone charger right there inside the server bowl on the dining table, where it's supposed to be all along... and forcing me to confess I put it somewhere I can't remember and when I found it, I put it back in the server bowl. I replied to hubby, "Boo!!!" I was not at all surprised that things would go a-missing in ancient Rome. An "It" was getting curious with the modern gadgets. Meanwhile, hubby and I had our hands full of itinerary to get bothered by it.

Campo de'Fiori with a hooded Giordano Bruno statue in the center

Colosseum
in Roma antica

Walking the streets of Rome was a time travel. I have only gone as far as reading about Rome's history that finding myself in the very grounds of ancient Rome was utterly surreal. With some imagination, ancient Rome can (even) come back to life, Rick Steves said in his travel book. A concrete road had bisected ancient Rome into two parts, and up ahead was colossal Colosseum visible two blocks down the road. On a first visit to the Colosseum, my trusty Sony handycam ran out of battery... so hubby and I turned around to reschedule the Colosseum itinerary the next day, with the handycam's battery on full-- for a rewind experience back home.

Temple of Vesta
in Palatine Hill

Across the Colosseum was Palatino - the hill were the twins were found. There, hubby and I traversed a dirt road all the way to the Roman Forum, documenting Rome's past without leaving stones unturned. Midway was the Temple of Vesta, where once upon a history vestal virgins guarded the sacred flame believing, for as long as it burned Rome would stand; the burning flame is long gone, and ancient Rome is in ruins. At the Roman Forum, one distinct name came to mind-- Julius Caesar. William Shakespeare's history play about Julius Caesar was a required reading material in high school, and it came to life in the Roman Forum.

Roman Colosseum featured brutal gladiator games back in ancient Rome

Traveler's downtime
at Piazza Venezia

Rome, indeed, has several piazzas (square) scattered randomly, the most popular being Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza del Popolo, and Piazza Venezia.
Day 2 in Rome, hubby was (already) into a guessing game coming back to the apartment, after a cigarette break, "Guess what is around the corner from the apartment?" What?" I replied, with a trace of irritation, because he had left me to wash the dishes. Hubby revealed, "PIAZZA NAVONA! You must see it right away!" Outdoors, the temperature had dropped below 10 degrees, and I went to grab my coat to see Piazza Navona.

Piazza Navona adorned with Bernini's "Four Rivers" fountain in the center

Photo with Polizia Roma

From Via dei Leutari, where the apartment is, hubby and I walked on, until we came face-to-face with Rome's talking statue - Pasquino, who had no postings for the night. At Pasquino statue, we turned left until the narrow street opened up to a huge square... Piazza Navona, all lit up that night.

Morning walk
in Piazza Navona

It was past 10PM, and Piazza Navona was running empty, save for a police car with two policeman, on "buddy system", sitting inside and keeping watch over the square. It was calming for tourists, like us, to find police visibility in the square, and other tourist spots in Rome. Right in the center of the square was the Fountain of the Four Rivers, with water cascading down to a catch basin.

Fountain in Piazza Navona

Many had confused the fountain to a real river, rather than (just) symbolic of four river gods. There was one time I overheard a tourist asking where the four rivers are. Trivia: The Four Rivers is a 17th C. Bernini fountain sculpture of four river gods, representing the four major rivers of four continents - the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube, and the Rio de la Plata. Looking at the fountain sculptures, I did some quick guessing which statue represented what river.

The Trevi Fountain - caught from a scene in the movie, "Three Coins in a Fountain"

Still in Rome... There's the Pantheon - a temple, where I stood under the Oculus, a hole on the dome that reflected light telling time. Up a hilly part and next to Piazza del Popolo, is Villa Borghese, offering a vista as far as the Vatican's Cupola; the Borghese grounds are free to visit, like for afternoon nap if you please. And then, there's that movie-hyped Trevi Fountain, which had vacuumed tourists and pickpockets alike. Seated myself on the steps of Trevi Fountain one starry night, holding a cupful of Giolitti's gelato, eyes fixated to the lighted fountain, hearing the soothing sound of cascading water... can only translate to la dolce vita... oh, the sweet Italian lifestyle! Must I forget to throw my lucky coin over the Trevi Fountain to ensure myself a return trip to Rome, done!

Testing the Scorpion myth with Bocca della Verita - an ancient manhole cover

Cappuccino cup
at Sant'Eustachio

La dolce vita - stroll down Spanish Steps... Those Spanish steps is said to be the fave hangout of many romantics, including the shopaholics. At the bottom of Spanish steps are the streets to Rome's shopping districts-- Via Condotti for high-end Italian brands, i.e., Gucci, Prada, and Via del Corso for affordable retail.

Fresh tagliatelli
at Campo de'Fiori

My Rome trip would not be complete without getting on with the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" That meant indulging in servings of pizza (smoking hot from a brick oven), freshly-made pasta, and sweet gelato (ice cream). Having had an overdose of the gelato, I got my hands next on a chocolate tartufo (also, ice cream).

Giolitti's gelato

I looked forward to tasting Tre Scalini's tartufo, but the restaurant in Piazza Navona was closed for renovation that winter. I did find an alternative tartufo from its neighbor Gelateria Tre Fontane, to satisfy the craving.

25-jan: Bridge to Vatican... Link to>>> Journal Entry: Crossing Over to the Holy See #italy #vatican #winter2011

1-feb: Day trip to Assisi... Link to>>> Journal Entry: Assisi on a Hilltop #italy #assisi #winter2011

2-feb: Day 11, in Rome... Hubby and I spent the afternoon on our last day in Piazza Navona, people-watching. That, and scooping a teaspoonful of tartufo each time. The Italian lifestyle is surely one hard habit to break. Having thrown a coin in Trevi Fountain, I must have guaranteed for myself a return ticket to Rome. Until then... "Ciao, Roma!"

3-feb: Arrived, Florence...
Link to>>> Journal Entry: Old Bridge #italy #florence #winter2011

Link to>>> Journal Entry: Renaissance Florence #italy #florence #winter2011

oOo
PHOTOSTITCH

#Italy #Rome #winter2011